WHERE WILL THE WORLD CUP WINNER PLAY NEXT SEASON?
ALEXIS MAC ALLISTER BRIGHTON Is there a footballer who sums up Brighton & Hove Albion’s identity better than Mac Allister? Plucked for pesos from his native Argentina four years ago, sent back on loan twice, then bedded into the squad, he’s making it increasingly hard to identify something he can’t do on a football pitch.
Perhaps that’s what made him so valuable to Lionel Scaloni’s World Cup-winning squad in Qatar – and to both Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi this season, too. Either side of Argentina’s third world title, Mac Allister has played both deeper in midfield and as a focal point; used both as a battering ram in the final third and as a ball carrier to evade the first press alongside Moises Caicedo.
His hunger and intensity have helped to drive Brighton into European contention and to an FA Cup semi-final, winning him plenty of neutral fans along the way. Now, he’s one of the most sought-after midfielders in the division, coveted by the very clubs he has been running rings around this season.
But as much as his effort has underlined just how far this Brighton side will run, Mac Allister has come in clutch with the goals, too. Nine in the league by early May this term, including several from the penalty spot, have highlighted his importance to this team, with another two taking him beyond double figures in all competitions. For so long, the Seagulls struggled to score at all – now they have goals coming from across the pitch. A deeper-lying maestro chipping in with quite so many is particularly impressive.
This season has felt like a breakthrough campaign for Mac Allister. Still only 24 years old, he’s nowhere near his peak yet. Whether he remains at Brighton or not, he has come to sum up everything that the Sussex side demand of a new recruit.
DID YOU KNOW? Lionel Messi had to tell his Argentina team-mates to stop teasing Mac Allister for being ginger. His family roots are in Donabate, Ireland and Fife, Scotland – hence the Celtic name and complexion.